locating near mystery caches

[yatesDELTA]

Hi all

 

so theres a huge expanse of countryside villages between Stevenage and the A10. The area near Stevenage has a chain of mystery caches. The question mark symbol on the map so happens to be often quite near (or in the same location) to where i would like to place one of a series of traditional caches.

I have not done these yet as i have only just starting cycling in this area having cycled the other side of Stevenage previously.

 

MY question is can i place caches i the same place as the false co-ordinates? Also can i place caches close to the actual location as i havnt the fiantest where they are.

 

Thanks in advance and with some luck i can get this done by the time the summer holidays are over and im back to school lol

[+Pengy&Tigger]

You can place a cache near the fake co-ords, but not the real ones. As for finding out where they actually are, I'd go about contacting the owner of the caches. Explain that you want to place a traditional cache and give rough co-ords of where you wish to place it. Ask the owner of the caches if that would be near any of theirs.

 

Your other option is to solve the puzzles, but I'm guessing that would be more time consuming.

[+G4UYG]

The question mark symbol on the map so happens to be often quite near (or in the same location) to where i would like to place one of a series of traditional caches.

 

This raises another point that has puzzled me. Why do some people put their dummy locations so far from the real cache? It can be quite annoying to find one in what seems to be a convenient location, only to find that it's some distance away when you solve it. Even as little as 100 metres off would still be too far to find the cache without solving the clue but would give a decent indication of where the cache is going to be.

Edited August 25, 2008 by G4UYG

[yatesDELTA]

I do plan to do these caches properly at some point in the future but preferably i need to place this series before my summer holidays are over, and ive got just over a week. Thank for the advice and i will ask the owners about possible locations

[+hawkeye81]

I do plan to do these caches properly at some point in the future but preferably i need to place this series before my summer holidays are over, and ive got just over a week. Thank for the advice and i will ask the owners about possible locations

 

... or ask a friendly reviewer if the co-ords you are looking to use are acceptable?

[+Bear and Ragged]

only to find that it's some distance away when you solve it.

 

The co-ords are supposed to be with-in a couple of miles of the final cache, to try to keep TB mileage correct...

 

I suggest e-mailing cache owners, or your friendly reviewer with you cache co-ords.

The correct co-ords sent to a reviewer may be the better/quicker option.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Bother!

Edited August 25, 2008 by Bear and Ragged

[+HazelS]

Yeah.. if it were me, I'd ask one of our very lovely reviewers if my coords are ok... they'll soon let you know if they're not....

 

Always best too if you have an idea for a cache and a rough location, to drop the reviewer a line with a note of the rough coords to "bagsy" that spot.

 

I've done that with a local park I want to put a 5 stage multi in, and I'm STILL awaiting permission from the local rangers... in the mean time, it means that nobody is able to place a cache within 526ft of my approx coords....

 

When the reviewer looks at your location, they'll take in account the other caches placed in the area, so you'll kill 2 birds with one stone - bagsy your location, AND check that the dummy coords are far enough away from the real cache.

Edited August 25, 2008 by HazelS

[+scottpa100]

 

This raises another point that has puzzled me. Why do some people put their dummy locations so far from the real cache? It can be quite annoying to find one in what seems to be a convenient location, only to find that it's some distance away when you solve it. Even as little as 100 metres off would still be too far to find the cache without solving the clue but would give a decent indication of where the cache is going to be.

 

Puzzle caches, rightly or wrongly are less frequently visited. So I publish the 'pretend' co-ords for puzzle caches on busy road junctions. My theory being that for people who have not masterminded GSAK, they just dump all caches on their satnavs. They end up bombing up and down these primary routes and will eventually end up doing the cache just to get rid of it off their tomtom. Or place the co-ords in the middle of a large lake, river or the sea. The phantom sea co-ords are done quite a lot up here in north Wales.

[+Bear and Ragged]

 

This raises another point that has puzzled me. Why do some people put their dummy locations so far from the real cache? It can be quite annoying to find one in what seems to be a convenient location, only to find that it's some distance away when you solve it. Even as little as 100 metres off would still be too far to find the cache without solving the clue but would give a decent indication of where the cache is going to be.

 

Puzzle caches, rightly or wrongly are less frequently visited. So I publish the 'pretend' co-ords for puzzle caches on busy road junctions. My theory being that for people who have not masterminded GSAK, they just dump all caches on their satnavs. They end up bombing up and down these primary routes and will eventually end up doing the cache just to get rid of it off their tomtom. Or place the co-ords in the middle of a large lake, river or the sea. The phantom sea co-ords are done quite a lot up here in north Wales.

 

Great idea!

 

*Files away for future reference*

[+purple_pineapple]

 

This raises another point that has puzzled me. Why do some people put their dummy locations so far from the real cache? It can be quite annoying to find one in what seems to be a convenient location, only to find that it's some distance away when you solve it. Even as little as 100 metres off would still be too far to find the cache without solving the clue but would give a decent indication of where the cache is going to be.

 

Puzzle caches, rightly or wrongly are less frequently visited. So I publish the 'pretend' co-ords for puzzle caches on busy road junctions. My theory being that for people who have not masterminded GSAK, they just dump all caches on their satnavs. They end up bombing up and down these primary routes and will eventually end up doing the cache just to get rid of it off their tomtom. Or place the co-ords in the middle of a large lake, river or the sea. The phantom sea co-ords are done quite a lot up here in north Wales.

 

Great idea!

 

*Files away for future reference*

 

there are many puzzles near us, and quite a few have top coords that are many miles away from the final cache. Mostly, this is because putting the coords too close to the final cache (and yes, within 2 miles is too close for some of them!) will give too much of the puzzle away! Generally, as long as the coords are somewhere in Surrey, us locals don't mind!

[Edgemaster]

Generally, as long as the coords are somewhere in Surrey, us locals don't mind!

The not-so-locals with only bikes for transport do though...

 

(Edit: Was this too blunt? No offence intended)

Edited August 26, 2008 by Edgemaster

[+purple_pineapple]

Generally, as long as the coords are somewhere in Surrey, us locals don't mind!

The not-so-locals with only bikes for transport do though...

 

(Edit: Was this too blunt? No offence intended)

 

not at all! i wasn't particularly referring to the transport side, more the fact that we're accustomed to it now! anyway, you can talk! new cache 2 minutes from home and no FTF... didn't need transport for that one!

[+sTeamTraen]

Puzzle caches, rightly or wrongly are less frequently visited. So I publish the 'pretend' co-ords for puzzle caches on busy road junctions. My theory being that for people who have not masterminded GSAK, they just dump all caches on their satnavs. They end up bombing up and down these primary routes and will eventually end up doing the cache just to get rid of it off their tomtom.

 

I'd be inclined to use Little Chef car parks. They'll show up just as annoyingly on the satnav, but beginners who don't know what the Mystery icon means won't end up parking on the hard shoulder and crossing 3 lanes to get to the guardrail in the middle.

 

Yeah.. if it were me, I'd ask one of our very lovely reviewers if my coords are ok... they'll soon let you know if they're not....

 

For a single question, you'll probably get a reply, but the reviewer can and probably will refuse to answer if they think you're playing "Battleship" to find the mystery cache, which has been known to happen. That's probably also one of the reasons why there is no automated tool to allow people to check for proximity issues.

 

Always best too if you have an idea for a cache and a rough location, to drop the reviewer a line with a note of the rough coords to "bagsy" that spot.

 

A more reliable way - which doesn't require your reviewer (and the reviewer who replaces them when they're on holiday) to remember "ah yes, Hazel wanted to place a cache near here" - is to create your cache listing, and if it's a multi, add the "Final" WP, plus "Stages of a Multicache" for each physical stage (where you're planning to place something). Then leave the cache disabled by unchecking the "Yes, this cache is active" box, so the reviewer won't publish it. When another cache is submitted nearby, any proximity issues will be detected by the review software - even for the additional WPs of your "in-preparation", inactive cache - and your WPs should have "priority" because you will (presumably) have the older GCxxxxx number. You can't block a spot for ever like this, so the reviewer will contact you to check that you still intend to place your cache, but provided that you do so in a reasonable time, you will have "first dibs" on the spot.

Edited August 27, 2008 by sTeamTraen

[+Bear and Ragged]

For a single question, you'll probably get a reply, but the reviewer can and probably will refuse to answer if they think you're playing "Battleship" to find the mystery cache, which has been known to happen.

 

Did read somewhere on the forums, of a reviewer that if they think a cacher is playing 'Battleships' with a cache hide to try to find a Mystery, they stop saying "Yes, thats OK for a cache" and just say "No" even if there is no cache around there!

[+sTeamTraen]

Did read somewhere on the forums, of a reviewer that if they think a cacher is playing 'Battleships' with a cache hide to try to find a Mystery, they stop saying "Yes, thats OK for a cache" and just say "No" even if there is no cache around there!

 

I've heard tell of the opposite case: the "missile" cache was well within 528 feet of the "battleship" but the reviewer called the placer's bluff and published it.

Edited August 27, 2008 by sTeamTraen

[+Bear and Ragged]

Did read somewhere on the forums, of a reviewer that if they think a cacher is playing 'Battleships' with a cache hide to try to find a Mystery, they stop saying "Yes, thats OK for a cache" and just say "No" even if there is no cache around there!

 

I've heard tell of the opposite case: the "missile" cache was well within 528 feet of the "battleship" but the reviewer called the placer's bluff and published it.

 

There's no trusting some of these reviewers is there!